Return of the Bebop Crew
by TheEndOfTheDay
Summary: It's been several months since the crew of the Bebop has split up and Jet thinks it's about time for everyone to stop pouting and come home.


They hadn't spoken in months. Yet as she lay dripping blood onto the carpet of the cheapest apartment money could buy, the only person she could think to call was him. She knew he was on Venus. He had picked up a small-time convenience store robber before she could get him herself. It really ticked her off.

"Why did I think you'd call me any sooner?"

"Jet..."

"Faye, what's wrong?"

She heard the sudden change in his voice from indifference to something she would call concern. She couldn't speak for relief at hearing it. He still cared about her well being at least. That was a start.

"Faye, what's going on? Are you okay?" He prodded.

"Jet… can you come here?"

Too much silence followed and she began to wonder if he had finally decided to ignore her until…

"I have your coordinates from your call. I'm on my way."

She slowly opened her eyes, not realizing she had closed them, to find herself in her bed, wearing pajamas she never used. She felt where the knife had entered her stomach to find clean tightly wrapped bandages before slowly sitting up in her bed to find her one bedroom apartment cleaner than it had ever been as if that was how it always was. As she scanned the compact room, she found him sleeping on her ugly and too-short couch. Lying on his back, feet dangling off the end, and hands resting beneath his head, he breathed evenly. She gently called his name.

She watched him lay completely still for a few moments wondering if it would take more to wake him up before he opened his eyes suddenly and sat up.

He sighed slowly as he relaxed, realizing where he was and rubbed the back of his neck, "Faye, what happened? Where have you been all this time? You up and leave a day after Spike does then three months later I get a call in the middle of the night from you asking for my help."

She glanced around the room avoiding his gaze, "I… needed some time on my own that's all. I was fine until last night when some two-bit alley rat pulls a knife on me and gets angry when he realizes I don't have any money. It wasn't until I got up here that I realized how bad it was."

"It seems everyone needs time on their own." Jet muttered, "First Ed leaves taking Ein with her, then you leave, and as soon as Spike got out of the hospital he went off to his home planet for some soul searching. Even I've taken some time for myself, but this is just ridiculous."

He carefully watched as Faye pulled the blankets aside and put her feet to the floor. Taking a deep breath she stood and made her way to the place she called the kitchen that was to the back of the couch. She opened the fridge and pulled out some old meatballs and began to heat them up. As the seconds ticked by she leaned against the back of the couch while he faced the opposite wall and they sat in silence as her microwave whirred.

"Thank you, by the way, for helping me, Jet." She finally mumbled out.

"Don't worry about it." He waved his hand in a dismissive gesture though he knew she wasn't watching, "I just wish you would stay in one place once in a while."

At the beep she retrieved her food and an eating utensil and joined him on the couch.

"You know, you really shouldn't be moving yet, although it's just a flesh wound whoever this kid is that got you got you pretty deep. Wounds need time to heal."

She huffed slightly in the middle of bite and spoke through her food, "It doesn't even hurt."

"Just because it doesn't hurt doesn't mean it isn't there."

He always had an infuriating way of making perfect sense when she didn't want him to. And as much as she hated admitting it, she slowly felt herself submitting to his authoritative tone. "So what am I supposed to do? Just lie in bed all day and starve to death?"

His face turned angry and his voice grew firm, "You're supposed to let people take care of you even if you're not in immediate danger." He sighed again and his voice softened, "You were able to recognize when you needed help last night, so why don't you realize it now?"

Now she turned angry, "Jet, I've never had someone willing enough to take care of me when it's not urgent, so what's so different now?"

He returned her gaze and answered softly, "Now you're part of a crew. A crew looks out for each other. Sure we're scattered for now, but somehow I believe we'll be together again."

She stared at him disbelievingly. How did he have so much faith? It had been so long since she'd believed in anything or in anyone. Yes, she wanted more than anything for the BeBop crew to go back to the way it was. Ed running around yelling nonsense, Jet finding their bounty heads, Spike would disappear when he got what he thought was enough information, Faye would inevitably need to help him, Ein with his intelligent eyes never tried to bite her no matter how rude she was, Jet, after the bounty was collected, would cook them real food and they'd eat together. Looking back she knew it was the best time of her life after her cryogenic sleep. It was almost too good to be true. That was why she always left. That was why she would always eventually come back to the ship as if she had never been gone. So why did she feel reluctant to return now? She wanted to, but almost felt like there was a giant asteroid blocking her way and she was out of gas.

"Jet…"She stopped, finding no words to express all she felt.

"Faye, come back to the ship."

With that he answered all her internal questions. She was part of a crew.

"Okay."

They went home in the next hour, leaving enough time for him to help pack her things and scrounge up any extra food she had left. She had never been alone with him on the ship, but he continued on like it was the most normal thing in the world. He cooked for her, changed her bandages even when she said she could do it herself, and found a small bounty to go after the next day.

They sat in the main area that evening watching TV. He sat by her feet as she lounged sideways on the couch like it was the most natural thing, but she couldn't help but glance at him sipping his beer then back to the TV then back to him again. She fiddled with her fingers, the silence feeling eerie.

"I'm sorry." She blurted out.

He looked at the side of her face as she avoided his gaze. "What for?"

"For being… me."

He didn't say anything.

"What I mean is-…" She met his eyes, "I didn't tell you that my memory came back." She looked back to the floor, "I remember what it was like to be a child. I had ideals and beliefs and I looked forward to life I was completely different than what I became after my long sleep. I guess I'm still trying to figure out who I am, is what I'm trying to say."

Jet remained silent.

"So, I'm sorry… that I'm inconsiderate and-and lots of things."

"There's no need to apologize for that."

Spike came back a mere two weeks after she did saying it was time to get back to life. He seemed a bit weary when he first boarded the ship, but she didn't speak to him about it, she simply offered him a cigarette and let him return to normal in his own time. They seemed to come to a silent understanding of each other. She knew he belonged on the ship and it was clear that he knew it too.

Although the trio tried to avoid Earth for months after that Faye was still glad when Ed hacked into their ship to speak to them. She smirked at Ed as she boarded the ship flipping and doing cartwheels into the bay Ein following close behind jumping and barking excitedly at his master. She had grown out since they'd seen her last and used a cloth to hold it in. She hugged each one of them, well, she gave them each an Edward equivalent of a hug. She gripped Spike around the leg crying Spi-Spi, and jumped onto Jet's back yelling Jet-Person. When she got to Faye she just smiled and stood in front of her.

"You're getting taller, Ed." Faye observed smiling back at her.

"Faye-Faye!" Ed yelled as she hugged her.

"It's good to see you again." Faye said, returning the hug.

Jet was kneeling to pet Ein as the dog rolled over letting Jet rub his belly clearly glad to be back.

"Will you be staying a while, Ed?" Jet asked as he stood.

Ed released Faye and looked at the crew, "Edward will stay many whiles. Ed knows where Ed belongs. Ed found home!" She threw her arms out to her sides and began spinning towards the steps and cart-wheeled her way up them hooting and hollering all the way with Ein happily following behind her.

"Dinner will be in one hour!" Jet hollered after her.

The adults were left in the bay. Faye, still smiling looked to the men Spike was serenely lighting a cigarette while Jet grinned dumbly at the fleeing girl.

"Looks like the crew's back together again." Jet declared.


End file.
